This Saturday’s Recipes by The Pioneer Woman
3 years ago
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Just playing around...
Got a little stand for background fabrics and such, today I put up the white muslin and coerced Zach into helping me. Had to remind him HOW MUCH time I've spent helping HIM play his computer games, so he owed me. I'm evil like that. He complied, but he didn't even try to to pretend to enjoy it. Gahhh. But it was helpful, seeing how different light and settings and such affected the shots. Now if I could teach him to hold a butterfly right side up, we'll be getting somewhere.
January 29
Almost didn't get a photo today...but just in time, I grabbed a quick shot of Owen getting ready for bed, sneaking in some play time with Tessa ♥
Friday, January 29, 2010
January 28 - bonus!
Don't you love a man who takes suggestions? I sent Kevin a link for something I'd like to have as a birthday gift and he ordered it! LOL...it came today so I ripped it open and set it up. Of course I need to have a better sort of setup, as the fabric would really do better with a blank wall behind it, or something non-lit. And working with daylight would help immensely, as I'd get more light coming through the window and not have to rely on my little flash so much. But I can't wait to REALLY play with it! I won't tell you how many pez and jelly beans these photos cost me.
P.S. Zach wasn't really mad, I was trying to get 'The Look' that he gives, and it is really fierce when it's for real. But I should have waiting until AFTER Owen planted that kiss on his mouth. He was not very pleased.
P.S. Zach wasn't really mad, I was trying to get 'The Look' that he gives, and it is really fierce when it's for real. But I should have waiting until AFTER Owen planted that kiss on his mouth. He was not very pleased.
January 28
I took some pics of the cats today, playing around w/the 85mm lens and zooming way in to check the sharpness. I think I really need to work on lighting. Anyway, I think these cats have the coolest eyes. Tessa's are a yellow that I've never seen in a cat before, and Harmony's are quite green. Although her green doesn't show up as well here.
January 27
In case you haven't noticed a recurring theme, much of my day is spent trying to accomplish small tasks while still working on the larger task of avoiding Owen catastrophes. Whether it's personal injury or house demolition, he keeps me on my toes. One way of making this semi-possible is by keeping ALL the doors closed, and having child-proof knob covers. They work pretty well and he's gotten to the point that if he sees a door open, he hurries to shut it. Well, he HAD gotten to that point. He's learned there are fun and exciting things behind those doors and now he runs in as fast as he can if he finds one open.
I unfortunately left my door open today. Right after picking Zach up from school, I deposited my shoes in the bedroom and apparently didn't latch the door afterward. Bad, bad mommy. Owen sensed his opportunity probably before I'd even left the room. I realized things were quiet and looked around. Heart stopped beating for a second as I realized my bedroom door was ajar. Saw Owen sitting on my bed. Saw a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner with him on the bed. Saw a cat sitting next to him. Mind immediately ran through a couple of scenarios and quickly ruled them out...no huge pile of goo all over the comforter, cat sitting calmly, lids are shut...I must have gotten there just in time!
But no. It was way too late. The side away from the door that I couldn't see, all over the cat there was shampoo and conditioner. Soaking into her fur. And she just SAT THERE! I was sort of shocked for a moment not knowing what to do so of course the logical thing was to pivot to my dresser, grab the camera and take a photo. It's an awful one, I didn't have time for flash or settings or anything, but it's the only one I have for today.
I did use several towels trying to wipe off what I could. I braved a second mauling by holding her under the sink faucet for about 1/1758th of a second but she manage to break loose and run off. I admit, I was a little terrified of getting bit again, even though I don't think Harmony would ever chomp me with the ferocity that Tessa displayed. But at least she smells good now.
I unfortunately left my door open today. Right after picking Zach up from school, I deposited my shoes in the bedroom and apparently didn't latch the door afterward. Bad, bad mommy. Owen sensed his opportunity probably before I'd even left the room. I realized things were quiet and looked around. Heart stopped beating for a second as I realized my bedroom door was ajar. Saw Owen sitting on my bed. Saw a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner with him on the bed. Saw a cat sitting next to him. Mind immediately ran through a couple of scenarios and quickly ruled them out...no huge pile of goo all over the comforter, cat sitting calmly, lids are shut...I must have gotten there just in time!
But no. It was way too late. The side away from the door that I couldn't see, all over the cat there was shampoo and conditioner. Soaking into her fur. And she just SAT THERE! I was sort of shocked for a moment not knowing what to do so of course the logical thing was to pivot to my dresser, grab the camera and take a photo. It's an awful one, I didn't have time for flash or settings or anything, but it's the only one I have for today.
I did use several towels trying to wipe off what I could. I braved a second mauling by holding her under the sink faucet for about 1/1758th of a second but she manage to break loose and run off. I admit, I was a little terrified of getting bit again, even though I don't think Harmony would ever chomp me with the ferocity that Tessa displayed. But at least she smells good now.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
January 26
Today after school the boys and I stopped short of going into the house and decided to grab a few toys from the garage and play outside first. I ran in and grabbed the camera (of course!) to try and get a couple of shots before the fun was over. Owen's were, as usual, poorly exposed and at the verge of movement. Zach sat still a few times to let me 'practice' and sort of complied with movement/time/space for the shots below. Pardon the curbside refuse, Waste Management is due to pick it up. We aren't trashy, I swear! Well, ok, we try to keep it under wraps....oh yeah, the eyes photo is kind of creepy. I played around w/cropping and texture. But he has such cool colors in his eyes!
And talk about strong hair...ever see someone hold themselves up w/their follicular growth?
And talk about strong hair...ever see someone hold themselves up w/their follicular growth?
January 25
So it's Monday, right? Typing from the future makes it hard to keep current. Anyway, I still have the 85mm lens on and was trying to get some shots of Owen. Little fart moves so fast. And the zoom is insane. But I'm trying, goshdangit!
What day is it?
I think this is from the 24th. I had put on my 85mm lens and was taking pics willy nilly and then looking to see if I could discern a noticeable difference from photos taken w/the 50mm. Sadly, nothing stood out :( But hey, there's me in a mirror! *well CRAP somehow I've lost the image. I'll be back after I re-transfer the jpg. mumble curse mumble*
Monday, January 25, 2010
I Heart Texture
The theme at I ♥ Faces this week is texture. I was about to go through my photos and see if I had one that I could play around with when I remembered this image. One of my first forays into texture and one of my favorites. Don't forget to head on over to I ♥ Faces and browse all the beautiful faces and gorgeous textures!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Bewitching Bordeaux
That's the color I painted my toenails today. Now that may not seem blog worthy, but HEY, I PAINTED MY TOENAILS! I never paint my toenails. Even when I was young and cute and got my nails done religiously, I rarely tended to my footsies. Toes are just a P.I.A. to paint. But I painted them today because we were headed OUT. Out to my favorite restaurant and then to a movie, and even better we had Sharon and Jerad, as well as my friends Kathy and Nick joining us.
And oh, was it nice. On the way over I stopped off to say 'Happy Birthday' to #2, but alas, it wasn't his birthday. Oops. I was off by a couple of days, which is actually good b/c I don't even have a card for him yet. However, while there he grabbed my camera and was showing me a few things, then switched my cheapie little lens with his nice 100mm lens and snapped some quick pics of me with the sunset glowing. Verrah nice, numbah 2. And yes, your lens did give better, crisper shots. But I'm feeling too lazy to do a comparison crop. I will say, there was one really good one from my 50mm, as far as clarity goes. On the downside, things like that show up all the wrinkles and sags. Oh it's hard to see the changes time puts on you. In the mirror your brain sort of blinds you to them, but a photo is a much harsher reality. C'est la vie.
Dinner was AMAZING. In case you read this last night, you may know that I almost titled this post 'One Girl, One Salami', which was highly amusing last night as we were eating, drinking wine and enjoying dessert. One dessert was a 'chocolate salami' and in our 12 year old boy selves, we were cackling and joking and hopefully not annoying the other patrons. There was a definite resemblance to something other than chocolate, or salami. I'll let your own mind take you there. We almost made a YouTube video with it, which would have most certainly caused a rapid succession of spin-off videos as people filmed OTHER people watching 'One Girl, One Salami'. But we didn't.
I (as well as Kathy) decided to have an extra glass of wine in lieu of dessert. Unfortunately for me, and for Nick, apparently, it put me to sleep for half the movie. He says he had to keep poking me to make me quit snoring. I did enjoy what parts of it I saw, though! LOL But when Legion comes out on DVD, I'll have to rent it b/c I missed the middle :(
A great night....thanks to all of you who contributed. And long live Bacco's Wine Cafe!
Oh yeah, one of the pics below is there just b/c I like the way my hair is blowing. And I was playing around w/some textures, in case you couldn't tell.
And oh, was it nice. On the way over I stopped off to say 'Happy Birthday' to #2, but alas, it wasn't his birthday. Oops. I was off by a couple of days, which is actually good b/c I don't even have a card for him yet. However, while there he grabbed my camera and was showing me a few things, then switched my cheapie little lens with his nice 100mm lens and snapped some quick pics of me with the sunset glowing. Verrah nice, numbah 2. And yes, your lens did give better, crisper shots. But I'm feeling too lazy to do a comparison crop. I will say, there was one really good one from my 50mm, as far as clarity goes. On the downside, things like that show up all the wrinkles and sags. Oh it's hard to see the changes time puts on you. In the mirror your brain sort of blinds you to them, but a photo is a much harsher reality. C'est la vie.
Dinner was AMAZING. In case you read this last night, you may know that I almost titled this post 'One Girl, One Salami', which was highly amusing last night as we were eating, drinking wine and enjoying dessert. One dessert was a 'chocolate salami' and in our 12 year old boy selves, we were cackling and joking and hopefully not annoying the other patrons. There was a definite resemblance to something other than chocolate, or salami. I'll let your own mind take you there. We almost made a YouTube video with it, which would have most certainly caused a rapid succession of spin-off videos as people filmed OTHER people watching 'One Girl, One Salami'. But we didn't.
I (as well as Kathy) decided to have an extra glass of wine in lieu of dessert. Unfortunately for me, and for Nick, apparently, it put me to sleep for half the movie. He says he had to keep poking me to make me quit snoring. I did enjoy what parts of it I saw, though! LOL But when Legion comes out on DVD, I'll have to rent it b/c I missed the middle :(
A great night....thanks to all of you who contributed. And long live Bacco's Wine Cafe!
Oh yeah, one of the pics below is there just b/c I like the way my hair is blowing. And I was playing around w/some textures, in case you couldn't tell.
Trying to edumacate myself
Been doing some little bit of research online and talking with my ever patient photographer friend (Thanks, #2!) and I am pretty sure that the thing which I love the most is the thing which is frustrating me the most. Is that not always true of love? Anyway, I LOVE having a shallow depth of field in my photos. Ultra blurry backgrounds, I'm all over that. Which means I love having a wide aperture on my lens and opening it allllll the way up, baby. But I haven't been thrilled with the clarity of most images.
APPARENTLY having your aperture open like that can result in 'soft' images. I think I do ok if I'm up close to an object, but taking just a few steps back I lose crispness and I see graininess in the full size images. So today (Jan. 22) I did a quickie comparison shot. Both on my 50mm lens, one at f/2.0, 1/100sec (top photo) and the other at f/4.5, 1/60sec. What I'm most impressed by is the fact that I took a moment to make these changes and Zach looks like he didn't even breathe LOL. I can clearly see a difference. These are untouched, full size jpg's that I've cropped from the original RAW files. Even with the smaller images here I can see that the f/4.5 is sharper than my beloved f/2.0.
APPARENTLY having your aperture open like that can result in 'soft' images. I think I do ok if I'm up close to an object, but taking just a few steps back I lose crispness and I see graininess in the full size images. So today (Jan. 22) I did a quickie comparison shot. Both on my 50mm lens, one at f/2.0, 1/100sec (top photo) and the other at f/4.5, 1/60sec. What I'm most impressed by is the fact that I took a moment to make these changes and Zach looks like he didn't even breathe LOL. I can clearly see a difference. These are untouched, full size jpg's that I've cropped from the original RAW files. Even with the smaller images here I can see that the f/4.5 is sharper than my beloved f/2.0.
Talk about lazy...
Today (Jan. 21) Grammy took Owen, as she typically does on Thursdays. Ahhhh. Silence, and no need to jump at every little sound wondering what sort of catastrophe he's induced THIS time. Don't get me wrong, I miss the little bugger when he's gone, but the mental rest is much appreciated.
So, gym? Laundry? Groceries? Clean out my dresser or dig through stuff in the closet? How about....NOTHING! Yep, I did it. A whole lot of nada. I crawled back into bed and read a book until it was time to pick Zachary up from school. Of course then I had the blurry eyes from hell to contend with (getting old really isn't something I'd recommend doing just for fun). But I got to READ! I only ever get to do that when I'm on a plane or something.
So, gym? Laundry? Groceries? Clean out my dresser or dig through stuff in the closet? How about....NOTHING! Yep, I did it. A whole lot of nada. I crawled back into bed and read a book until it was time to pick Zachary up from school. Of course then I had the blurry eyes from hell to contend with (getting old really isn't something I'd recommend doing just for fun). But I got to READ! I only ever get to do that when I'm on a plane or something.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Holy cow!
Someone gave me an award! Talk about making my day :) THANK-YOU Jen! My poor little blog, getting noticed by someone. I feel so accomplished LOL
Anyway, this delightful blogger and photographer decided I should be included in her accolades: http://themcneilclan.blogspot.com/
And here are the rules:
1. To accept the award, you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and a link to their blog.
2. Pass the award on to approximately 10 other blogs that you recently discovered, and think are great! (Mine are not necessarily recently discovered, but I love them)
3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
Now, I haven't quite completed the list of requirements but by golly I WILL! As soon as I have non-blurry eyes and enough time to sit and muddle through all the c/p pasting and SPACING on this blog template (maybe it's my small screen that's giving me troubles?) I will be able to fully claim my award.
Thank you SO MUCH Jen! I love it :)
...ok, now I'm finally getting around to spreading the love...
1. Kathy...I am giving you this award b/c I am thrilled that you are doing the Photo 365 project again and I'm hoping that by having this award, you will feel motivated to keep it up even when you feel like it's not worth it. You have an award to live up to! And besides, maybe now Nick will buy you a new flash LOL. So here's to Kathy! http://kathysm.blogspot.com/
2. Jeanna: http://heartstringsandhobbies.blogspot.com/ She takes such gorgeous pics. I am jealous of her talent.
3. Sarah: http://becomingsarah.com/ I stumbled on this blog a while back when she won an award from the Pioneer Woman. And talk about talent...photos and a way with words that will keep you coming back for more. I don't even have the guts to SAY 'very blue clitoris' let alone blog about it.
4. Jen: http://housewifeonashoestring.blogspot.com/ Jen posts things that make me think.
5. Amanda: http://thisyearslovewilllast.blogspot.com/ She and I bought cameras at about the same time, but she got really good really fast. I hate her. ;) Btw Amanda, when you read this, I want to know about your seamless papers!
Ok, that's all I've got at the moment, aside from the biggies like Pioneer Woman and such, I haven't ventured into a lot of blogs. Some from I Heart Faces already have this award, so that cuts them out of the running LOL. I'll keep my eyes peeled for more and when I find them, I'll come back to edit this post.
Yeehaw! Have a happy Saturday!
Anyway, this delightful blogger and photographer decided I should be included in her accolades: http://themcneilclan.blogspot.com/
And here are the rules:
1. To accept the award, you must post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted you the award, and a link to their blog.
2. Pass the award on to approximately 10 other blogs that you recently discovered, and think are great! (Mine are not necessarily recently discovered, but I love them)
3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
Now, I haven't quite completed the list of requirements but by golly I WILL! As soon as I have non-blurry eyes and enough time to sit and muddle through all the c/p pasting and SPACING on this blog template (maybe it's my small screen that's giving me troubles?) I will be able to fully claim my award.
Thank you SO MUCH Jen! I love it :)
...ok, now I'm finally getting around to spreading the love...
1. Kathy...I am giving you this award b/c I am thrilled that you are doing the Photo 365 project again and I'm hoping that by having this award, you will feel motivated to keep it up even when you feel like it's not worth it. You have an award to live up to! And besides, maybe now Nick will buy you a new flash LOL. So here's to Kathy! http://kathysm.blogspot.com/
2. Jeanna: http://heartstringsandhobbies.blogspot.com/ She takes such gorgeous pics. I am jealous of her talent.
3. Sarah: http://becomingsarah.com/ I stumbled on this blog a while back when she won an award from the Pioneer Woman. And talk about talent...photos and a way with words that will keep you coming back for more. I don't even have the guts to SAY 'very blue clitoris' let alone blog about it.
4. Jen: http://housewifeonashoestring.blogspot.com/ Jen posts things that make me think.
5. Amanda: http://thisyearslovewilllast.blogspot.com/ She and I bought cameras at about the same time, but she got really good really fast. I hate her. ;) Btw Amanda, when you read this, I want to know about your seamless papers!
Ok, that's all I've got at the moment, aside from the biggies like Pioneer Woman and such, I haven't ventured into a lot of blogs. Some from I Heart Faces already have this award, so that cuts them out of the running LOL. I'll keep my eyes peeled for more and when I find them, I'll come back to edit this post.
Yeehaw! Have a happy Saturday!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
I need a translator
Because NOwhere have I seen or heard that the phrase "Go clean your room and PICK UP YOUR CLOTHES!" could possibly mean "Please come out dressed like the Terminator." Clearly, I am doing it wrong.
But he is cute, you have to admit.
But he is cute, you have to admit.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Mah bebeh
For today's official photo, I have two shots of Owen. He's such a sweet and cute little devil. I just love him. I wanted to get more of Zach as well, but once again we got caught up in homework, dinner, karate, etc. I need to do better with that.
I Heart Faces of Families
Head on over to I ♥ faces and look at all the amazing and beautiful families posted there.
Monday, January 18, 2010
January 18
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
No school today, so Kirra is over hanging with Zach while her parents are at work. I decided to make a nice treat...translation, having a guest over gives me an excuse to make ME a nice treat, and say it's for the kids. I knew Zach would love it but figured Kirra would be a bit dubious, and she was. But she ate some of it, yay me! Not typical kid fare, but oh-so-luscious. A nice egg-y vanilla bean custard with caramel sauce. B-E-A-yootiful, from a taste perspective at least.
No school today, so Kirra is over hanging with Zach while her parents are at work. I decided to make a nice treat...translation, having a guest over gives me an excuse to make ME a nice treat, and say it's for the kids. I knew Zach would love it but figured Kirra would be a bit dubious, and she was. But she ate some of it, yay me! Not typical kid fare, but oh-so-luscious. A nice egg-y vanilla bean custard with caramel sauce. B-E-A-yootiful, from a taste perspective at least.
January 17 - Happy Birthday Sharon!
Sadly, my photo of the day has nothing to do with your birthday. But regardless, I hope it was fun!
Zach did an amazing flying leap with front snap kick the other day and I really, REALLY wanted to try and get it on film. But alas, it didn't quite work out that way. Aside from needing to work on his form, he was NOT in the mood. He complied for a few jumps and kicks, but nothing looked like the perfection he executed a couple of days ago. However, I thought this photo looked cool. Well, aside from the piss-poor lighting. I had the camera on the 'action' setting, no manual setting attempts this go-round. I was on borrowed time with Mr. Helpful.
Zach did an amazing flying leap with front snap kick the other day and I really, REALLY wanted to try and get it on film. But alas, it didn't quite work out that way. Aside from needing to work on his form, he was NOT in the mood. He complied for a few jumps and kicks, but nothing looked like the perfection he executed a couple of days ago. However, I thought this photo looked cool. Well, aside from the piss-poor lighting. I had the camera on the 'action' setting, no manual setting attempts this go-round. I was on borrowed time with Mr. Helpful.
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